(Image credit: Natures Crops International)
December 5, 2023 — A brain lipid research team suggests Ahiflower nutrition (Buglossoides arvensis) oil can be a valuable plant source to maintain tissue turnover of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), similar to dietary DHA. New research has found that Ahiflower oil is as efficient as purified marine DHA at developing DHA in areas such as liver, fat and brain tissue in mice.
Although dietary ahiflower oil does not contain DHA, research indicates that it can form DHA in tissues where mammals naturally produce, store or utilize DHA from plant-based omega-3 fatty acids to support critical cell membrane, immune and neurotransmitter functions .
Nutritional insight sits down with Andrew Hebard, founder and CEO of Natures Crops International, which produces Ahiflower oil and participated in the study.
“This new research provides critical evidence that Ahiflower oil, through its unique omega-3 SDA (stearidonic acid) composition, performs as effectively as marine DHA in accumulating newly formed DHA in key tissues. As the lead researchers recognized, this turns the acceptance of plant-based omega-3 metabolism on its head.”
“We hope the impact will be much broader acceptance that including SDA-containing oils in complete and balanced omega diets is a highly effective strategy.”
Hebard adds that measuring circulating blood levels of DHA as the sole measure of efficient DHA biosynthesis in tissues does not provide an accurate assessment of other ways in which the body efficiently metabolizes SDA into DHA.
Study set up
The study, published in BBA – Molecular and cell biology of lipids, compared DHA synthesis from Ahiflower, flaxseed and DHA oils. The researchers placed pregnant mice on a diet containing DHA oil from algae, keeping their pups on this diet until they were nine weeks old.
The team then assigned mice to a diet containing Ahiflower, flaxseed or marine DHA oil with a realistic, human-equivalent intake and matched for total polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content.
After determining DHA levels in various tissues, the researchers found that DHA concentrations were highest in the liver and adipose tissue of DHA-fed animals, with no dietary differences in serum or brain.
DHA processing – measured in compound half-lives – synthesis and turnover rates were not different between Ahiflower and DHA diets, while they were significantly lower for flaxseed oil diets.
Ahiflower oil may help address omega-3 deficiencies without harming marine ecosystems (Image credit: Natures Crops International).Using research results
Earlier this year, Natures Crops International surveyed leading omega-3 supplement brands to understand what further support the company could provide to drive wider adoption of Ahiflower in this area.
“We found that we scored very highly on price, supply chain reliability, sustainability, regenerative agriculture and sensory perception. The main hurdle has been the perception that people need to get the DHA claimed on the label in their omega-3 supplements,” Hebard underlines.
“We believe this study can be used to demonstrate that while DHA supplementation has clear benefits, including Ahiflower oil as part of a more complete and balanced omega-3 solution is a compelling strategy for brands.”
He explains that the company’s Ahiflower oil is available in an organic acacia fiber powder with a 70% oil loading level from CoreFX.
“This water soluble, clean sensory and clean label powder format is extremely versatile in a variety of gummy, emulsion and bulk powder blend formats. Ahiflower+DHA oil is also available through our partnership with Algarithm for brands that require a DHA amount on packaged product labels.”
Benefits of sustainability
Natures Crops International emphasizes that the highly available omega-3 SDA content of Ahiflower oil can help overcome a societal challenge to address omega-3 deficiencies without harming marine ecosystems or relying on genetically modified crops.
According to Hebard, Ahiflower oil can provide a “fully scalable, traceable and climate-resilient source of balanced omegas.”
The study authors also indicate that the continued shift toward plant-based food choices and the “potentially ecologically disastrous implications of current dietary DHA recommendations” may provide Ahiflower with a critical PUFA source that meets the DHA needs of tissues in an ecologically sustainably supported.
Greg Cumberford, vice president of science and regulatory affairs at Natures Crops International and co-author of the study, notes: “For decades, consumers and practitioners have been told that all plant-based omega-3 sources are ‘inefficiently’ converted to DHA with a longer chain. . This new research indicates that the story with Ahiflower oil is more nuanced. Although dietary ahiflower oil does not increase DHA levels, it forms liver, fat and brain DHA quite efficiently in mice.”
Hebard notes that adding ahiflower oil to protein powders or plant-based milks could provide functional benefits.Multi-omega source
Hebard explains that existing published research on human nutritional interventions has shown that dietary ahiflower oil stimulates circulating omega-3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) up to four times more efficiently than flaxseed oil.
Ahiflower oil also resulted in a richer and more diverse range of omega-3 fatty acids – including EPA, eicosatetraenoic acid, docosapentaenoic acid – and omega-6 fatty acids – gamma-linolenic acid and dihomo-γ-linolenic acid – collectively known as anticonvulsants. -inflammatory oxylipin precursors.
Natures Crops International notes that this highlights how Ahiflower oil may work differently than marine or algae EPA/DHA sources in supporting the body’s immune system, gut-brain axis, and gut-microbiome balance.
Hebard adds that the oil also stimulates Interleukin 10 – a small protein or cytokine with powerful anti-inflammatory properties – in the cells of the immune system.
“The latest research findings underline that healthy adults are likely to be able to maintain DHA levels in key tissues such as the liver, adipose tissue and brain – that is, beyond the obvious medically supported intake of omega-3 DHA during prenatal pregnancy, early childhood and traumatic brain injury. – from Ahiflower oil supplementation,” Hebard explains.
Future research and applications
According to Hebard, Natures Crops International is focusing on Ahiflower oil and expanding its applications. This is based on physiological science and processing technology in humans and companion animals.
“Ahiflower seed has a number of fascinating and novel characteristics and we expect some of these to be commercially introduced in the coming year.”
He indicates there is room to build on Ahiflower oil’s presence in human and pet wellness and expand into products where traditional EPA/DHA oils are not commonly used or pose formulation issues.
“Examples include protein powders, vegetable powders, plant-based milks or spreads, snack bars, functional chocolates, squeezable vegetables or fruits and plant-based seafood. Adding Ahiflower oil to these matrices would deliver functional benefits and important product differentiation in often crowded categories.”
“Future research in humans and animals – ranging from poultry to honey bees and horses – is currently focused on translating recently discovered anti-inflammatory post-exercise and immune supporting activity of dietary Ahiflower oil, in some cases compared to conventional EPA/DHA sources. ”
By Jolanda van Hal
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